Closure



T. R. CURRAN May 10, 1966 CLOSURE Filed Dec. 16, 1964 mvENToRA/ 77E/@m3 E COPPA SY/Lf di@ .bzs

f? 7- Tofu/1 Y United States Patent O 3,250,423 CLOSURE Thomas R. Curran,kMonroeville, Pa., assignor to Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 418,621 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-27) This invention relates to breakway container closures and more particularly to breakaway closures for containers having a anged neck opening.

Closures of this type are generally made of metal and utilize a ared skirt designed to be crimped over the iiange of the container neck and having a tab to tear away a strip of metal. Besides requiring the utilization of an accessory tool -to perform the crimping operation, such closures are not entirely satisfactory for quickremoval since the metal parts crimped over the ange must be bent to free the closure from the ange and hands are easily lacerated by the sharp torn edges ofthe metal. Simple, fast and safe breakaway closures are especially desirable in emergency equipment, such as gas mask canisters.

It is an object of this invention to provide a closure that can be secured in position without the use of tools, which may be used with an appropriate gasket to effectuate a gas tight seal or which may be used as a secondary closure to protect an inner frangible seal. Another object is to provide such a closure that can be simply and rapidly removed with complete safety to the operator.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modiiications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification:

FIGURE l is a bottom View of the cap member of a closure constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap member taken on the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the clip, for use with the 'cap member of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the clip of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a top View of the closure consisting of the aforesaid cap member and clip in position on a conrainer; and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the closure taken on the line 6 6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the molded cap member 9 has an integral flat top wall 10 and a circular side wall 14 adapted to lit snugly over and seal against the flange 20 of a container 21, such as a gas mask canister. Notches 15 and 15.', positioned at diametrically opposite points in the side wall 14 and between ribs 12 and 13 and 12 and 13' respectively, extend through the side wall 14 to the bottom surface of the top wall and terminate in a groove 16 that extends between the notches and across the bottom surface of the top wall. An outwardly extending integral lifting lip 11 is positioned normal to the groove 16, preferably having an integral skirt 22. A sealing disc or gasket 19 may be positioned in the cap member to effectuate a seal between the cap member 9 and the container tiange 20. The molded clip 17, having as integral parts a concave bar spring 18 and hooks 23 and 23' on each end thereof, is positioned under tension over the top ofthe cap member 9. One edge of the bar spring 1S is positioned and maintained in alignment with the groove 16 by hooks 23 and 23' fitting snugly between the ribs 12 and 13 and 12 and 13' respec- 3,250,423 Patented May 10, 1966 ICC tively. The hooks extend under the cap member side wall 14 and the container liange 20 thereby'sealing the cap against the container ange 420. When so positioned the clip 17 exerts spring tension across -the top of the cap 5 member 9, holding it rigidly in positi bear and seal against the container ange 20 ythrough the entire circumferential surface contact of the sealing disc 19 with the container flange 20. Thus a complete protective seal is eifectuated as shown in FIGURE 6. To rapidly and safely remove the closure, linger pressure 1s exerted in an upward direction on lip 11 causing cap member 9 to break along groove 16, .the edge of the bar spring 1S acting as a bearing surface. The portion of the cap member including the lip is thus flipped off and the remaining portion of the cap member 9 and the clip 17 fall away from or may be easily slid olf the container. U The cap member is molded from a synthetic resin which rssuliiciently brittle to break easily and cleanly, and the clip member is molded from synthetic resin that is sucrently resilient to act as a spring; a great variety of synthetlc resins are well known and suitable for use in the cap or clip and several are suiciently brittle and suiliciently resilient that they can be used for both the cap and clip, such as styrene, medium impact styrene, cellulosrc acetate, styrene acrylonitrile and acrylic.

I claim:

1. A breakaway closure for a container having a lianged neck opening comprising a brittle cup-shaped cap member adapted to lit over the container ilange having a tlat top wall and a downwardly extending circular side wall, said side wall being divided into two portions by diametrically opposed notches,

a clip fitting over said cap member comprising a concave bar spring having two ends and a downwardly and inwardly extending hook integrally formed on each end of said bar spring, said hooks adapted to engage the container iiange when said bar spring is under tension,

a plurality of ribs on said side wall maintaining the cap member and clip in fixed angular relation wherein one edge of said bar spring is in alignment with said notches,

an outwardly extending lip integral with said cap member normal to and opposite said bar spring edge, whereby an upward pressure exerted on said lip will break said cap member along said bar spring edge.

2. A breakaway closure for a container having a flanged neck opening comprising a brittle cup-shaped cap member adapted to t over the container liange having a liar top wall and a downwardly extending circular side wall, said side wall being divided into two portions by diametrically opposed notches, a groove in the bottom surface of said top wall extending between said notches,

a clip fitting over said cap member comprising a concave bar spring having two ends and a downwardly and inwardly extending hook integrally formed on each end of said barrspring, said hooks adapted to engage the container llange when said bar spring is under tension,

a plurality of ribs on said side wall maintaining the cap member and clip in lixed angular relation wherein one edge of said bar spring is in alignment with said grooves,

an outwardly extending lip integral with said cap member normal to and opposite saidtbar spring edge, whereby an upward pressure exerted on said lip will break said cap member along said bar spring edge. p

3. A closure according to claim 1 having a sealing disc in said cap member.

on, and causing it to' 3 4 4. The combination of a container and a closure thereber normal to and opposite said bar spring edge for comprising whereby an upward pressure on said lip will break a container having a flanged neck opening, said cap member along said bar spring edge. a brittle cup-shaped cap member litting over said flange having a at top wall and a downwardly extending 5 Refelelfs Cited by the E'Xlmilel circular side wall, said side wall being divided into UNITED STATES PATENTS two portions by diametrically opposed notches,

Aa clip fitting over said cap member comprising a conlgg cave bar spring having two ends and a downwardly 2 630154 3/1953 Sauac g 215 86 and inwardly extending hook integrally formed on lo 3145872 8/1964 Ha es 215 41 each end of said bar spring, said hooks engaging y said flange when said bar spring is under tension, FOREIGN PATENTS a plurality of ribs on said side wall maintaining the 644,612 10/1950. Great Britain cap member and clip in fixed angular relation wherein one edge of said bar spring is in alignment with 15 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

said notches, an outwardly extending lip integral with said cap mern- FRANKLIN T' GARRETT Examiner 

1. A BREAKAWAY CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER HAVING A FLANGED NECK OPENING COMPRISING A BRITTLE CUP-SHAPED CAP MEMBER ADAPTED TO FIT OVER THE CONTAINER FLANGE HAVING A FLAT TOP WALL AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CIRCULAR SIDE WALL, SAID SIDE WALL BEING DIVIDED INTO TWO PORTIONS BY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED NOTCHES, A CLIP FITTING OVER SAID CAP MEMBER COMPRISING A CONCAVE BAR SPRING HAVING TWO ENDS AND A DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY EXTENDING HOOK INTEGRALLY FORMED ON EACH END OF SAID BAR SPRING, SAID HOOKS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE CONTAINER FLANGE WHEN SAID BAR SPRING IS UNDER TENSION, A PLURALITY OF RIBS ON SAID SIDE WALL MAINTAINING THE CAP MEMBER AND CLIP IN FIXED ANGULAR RELATION WHEREIN ONE EDGE OF SAID BAR SPRING IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID NOTCHES, AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING LIP INTEGRAL WITH SAID CAP MEMBER NORMAL TO AND OPPOSITE SAID BAR SPRING EDGE, WHEREBY AN UPWARD PRESSURE EXERTED ON SAID LIP WILL BREAK SAID CAP MEMBER ALONG SAID BAR SPRING EDGE. 